Chapter 1
"Charlotte, the family arranged an engagement for you when you were younger. Now that you've mostly recovered, would you be willing to return to New Orleans and get married?"
"If not, I’ll talk to your father again about canceling it."
In the dim room, Charlotte Murphy could only hear the silence filling the space. Just as the person on the other end of the line thought they’d failed to convince her again, she suddenly spoke, “I’m willing to go back and get married.”
Charlotte’s mother was stunned on the other end, taken aback. “You... you agree?”
Charlotte’s tone remained calm, “Yes, I agree, but I need a little time to wrap things up here in Miami. I’ll return within two weeks. Mom, you can start preparing for the wedding.”
After saying this and a few more words, she hung up the phone. As the call ended, the booming music from downstairs echoed up, with faint sounds of a birthday song in the background.
It was a birthday party for Sophie Reed, organized by Jaziel Collins and Nolan Rogers. Suddenly, footsteps approached, and Sophie entered, holding a slice of Black Forest cake with a smile. Her doe-like eyes blinked, her delicate face touched with a bit of makeup, and a few smudges of cream adding a strange charm. “Charlotte, come join us downstairs?”
Charlotte had long seen through her facade. Her voice was cold. “I still have work to do. You guys have fun.”
Almost instantly, Sophie’s eyes welled up with tears. “Charlotte, do you dislike me? Is that why you’re turning me down?”
Charlotte frowned instinctively. She hadn’t done anything, yet Sophie acted as if she’d been bullied. Inside, Charlotte scoffed, unwilling to continue listening to Sophie’s theatrics. “Save that act for Jaziel and Nolan. It doesn’t work on me.”
With that, she moved to close the door.
“Charlotte, wait...”
Sophie quickly reached out, her hand landing in the doorframe. As Charlotte closed the door, Sophie’s entire hand got caught, bruising the pale skin instantly.
“Hiss—”
Jaziel and Nolan, coming up the stairs, saw the scene. Both men rushed forward, cradling Sophie protectively, examining her hand with concern. Seeing the bruise, Nolan’s eyes grew red with anger. Impulsively, he scolded Charlotte, “It’s one thing if you don’t like Sophie, but why do something so despicable, Charlotte? Since when did you become this way?”
Jaziel, usually reserved, looked at Charlotte with the same disappointment in his deep gaze.
“Charlotte, today’s Sophie’s birthday. You didn’t need to go this far.” But as he turned back to Sophie, his tone softened. “Sophie, does it still hurt? I’ll take you to put some medicine on it.”
Watching Jaziel lead Sophie away, Nolan followed closely, comforting her as he went. “Sophie, don’t be upset. I’ll give you my new sports car! After the party, I’ll take you for a spin. That’ll cheer you up!”
Surrounded and doted upon by both men, Sophie finally managed a teary smile. “Thank you, Jaziel.” Then, turning to Nolan with watery eyes, she murmured, “Nolan, please don’t race anymore. Racing is dangerous, and I’d be worried about you.”
Seeing her smile through her tears, Nolan agreed quickly, “Alright, alright, anything you say!”
Watching them disappear down the stairs, Charlotte stood in the doorway, feeling a strange sense of disillusionment. She recalled a time when she had stood between Jaziel and Nolan.
From a young age, she had been frail and prone to illness, with asthma. The damp, rainy climate of New Orleans wasn’t ideal for her, so at the age of five, her parents sent her to sunny Miami to live with her aunt, who was a doctor. It was then that Charlotte met Jaziel and Nolan, who lived next door to her aunt.
The three of them grew up together as childhood friends. From the moment they met her, both boys were smitten, sticking to her side and acting as her protectors. They’d escort her to school, bring her breakfast and milk, and even tear up any love letters she received, forbidding any boy from getting close.
As they grew older, one took over the family business, becoming a CEO, and the other became a renowned racecar driver. Despite their busy schedules, they each bought a house next to hers, combining the spaces so they could all live together, coming home each day to cook for her.
When her family pressured her to return to New Orleans, they even pleaded tearfully for her to stay, saying that if she left, they’d drop everything to follow her. Wherever Charlotte was, they wanted to be.
Thanks to them, Charlotte’s condition stabilized, and she delayed her return to New Orleans. But everything changed when Sophie entered the picture.
Sophie had been an intern Charlotte took under her wing. On her first day, Sophie shyly refused to join the others for lunch. Charlotte later found her eating plain bread and pickled vegetables alone and learned that Sophie came from a poor family in the mountains. Out of kindness, Charlotte, who had grown up in luxury, began looking after her. Occasionally, she’d invite Sophie to join her and the boys for meals.
And thus, Sophie met Jaziel and Nolan.
Jaziel, who once avoided loud parties, now made exceptions for Sophie. Nolan, who lived and breathed racing, would abandon it with a single word from Sophie.
This had happened countless times over the past month. Once, Jaziel and Nolan openly competed for Charlotte’s attention, even pressuring her to choose between them. She’d even considered choosing one of them, feeling her heart moved.
But now, accepting her family’s arranged marriage didn’t seem so bad after all.
Charlotte smirked, setting a countdown on her phone. From now on, she would no longer disrupt the three of them.
Chapter 2
Charlotte closed the door and put on her earbuds, shutting out the noise outside. Since she had decided to return and get married, it was time to resign from her job here. Still, she wanted to finish her tasks to avoid any trouble for others.
Sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, she worked alone until the sun dipped below the horizon, and dusk darkened the room. Finally, after hours of work, she removed her earbuds and stretched. The work was done, and the house was quiet again.
She instinctively picked up her phone to unwind, and a message from Sophie popped up:
“Why didn’t you like my post on Instagram?”
One minute later, another message arrived: “Oh, sorry, Charlotte! I sent that by mistake—don’t be mad, okay?”
Curious, Charlotte opened Sophie’s Instagram to see what she’d posted. She was greeted by a photo grid showcasing gifts from Jaziel and Nolan. A luxurious pink princess dress, spread out like a pink cloud, took center stage. To match it, Jaziel had gifted a pair of custom crystal diamond shoes, glittering with elegance. The red sports car? Clearly, that was from Nolan.
In the center photo, Sophie stood between Jaziel and Nolan, her arms linked with theirs, her smile radiating sweetness. The caption read, “Yay, today I got to be a princess~”
Charlotte knew Sophie had posted this intentionally, trying to provoke her. In the past, she would’ve been hurt, unable to stand seeing Jaziel and Nolan treating someone else as they once treated her—a person they’d known less than a month. But now, she was leaving. None of it mattered anymore.
With an indifferent flick of her finger, she liked the post, a red heart lighting up on the screen. From this moment on, she and Jaziel and Nolan were merely friends; Sophie could handle the complications between them.
The next day, Charlotte went to the office to submit her resignation. Returning home, she began sorting through the many photos they’d taken over the years. They’d known each other for over twenty years, filling album after album with memories: childhood snapshots of Jaziel and Nolan playing house with her, awards ceremonies from high school, vacations they took together during college…
Charlotte flipped through each photo, memories as vivid as if they’d just happened. But now, they were unimportant.
One by one, she burned the photos, tossing them into the trash bin where a small fire crackled, reducing them to ashes.
Jaziel and Nolan arrived one after the other, just in time to see her doing this. Jaziel’s voice trembled slightly as he rushed over, “What are you doing?”
Charlotte glanced at him calmly, “Nothing much. These photos are moldy; I figured it’s best to burn them.”
Nolan instinctively reached to snatch the remaining photos from her hand, but she purposely let them slip, tossing them straight into the fire. The flames spread quickly, leaving them no chance to salvage anything.
Nolan tried to grab a photo that hadn’t completely burned, only to pull back his hand from the scorching heat. “Even if they’re moldy, you didn’t have to burn them. They’re memories!”
His eyes reddened with distress, and Jaziel, too, looked at the burning photos with helpless sadness.
Charlotte found it almost amusing. Here she was, a living person right before them, yet they’d chosen to hurt her over and over for Sophie. Now, it was just a pile of photos, and they were heartbroken.
She couldn’t help but wonder—when they found out she was leaving to marry someone else, what would their reaction be then?
Chapter 3
Looking at the two anxious men in front of her, Charlotte said calmly, "They’re just photos. We can always take new ones."
“If they’re gone now, we’ll just make more memories,” Jaziel replied, trying to find a compromise. Nolan quickly added, “And this time, we can bring Sophie along. She’s always said she’s never been on a trip before.”
Hearing this, Charlotte gave a faint, self-mocking smile. Jaziel and Nolan seemed to take her silence as agreement, both visibly relaxing.
As they were about to step inside, they noticed several boxes suddenly sitting in the living room. They hadn’t been there when they left that morning.
“What’s all this?” they asked in unison.
Charlotte glanced at them and replied, “Oh, I resigned from my job. I’m planning to switch careers.”
Didn’t she used to love this job?
The same question crossed both of their minds. Today, Charlotte was acting so out of character that an uneasy feeling crept over Jaziel and Nolan.
Nolan opened his mouth to probe further, but an abrupt ringtone broke the silence. Jaziel answered his phone, and Sophie’s worried, panicked voice came through.
“Jaziel, the power suddenly went out at my place. I’m so scared... What should I do?”
Hearing this, Nolan’s expression changed. Before Jaziel could respond, Nolan quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, Sophie. I’ll come over right now.”
Jaziel frowned, his usually calm face showing clear concern. Their worry for Sophie took precedence, and both grabbed their keys, rushing out the door.
Charlotte, however, remained composed. Once they’d left, she dialed her aunt.
Growing up, she had stayed with her aunt, who had treated her with great kindness, practically raising her as her own daughter. Since she was leaving, Charlotte naturally wanted a proper farewell.
When her aunt heard about her upcoming marriage, her voice was filled with a mixture of reluctance and surprise. “Charlotte, do Jaziel and Nolan know you’re going back to get married?”
After a brief pause, Charlotte replied, “They don’t know. Auntie, please help me keep it a secret. I don’t want any more complications.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end before her aunt let out a deep sigh. “I understand. You were always their treasure. Anyone could see those two boys adored you. You three were inseparable, and I thought you’d end up marrying one of them. Such a pity…”
Charlotte chuckled, her tone calm. “There’s nothing to regret. We’re just not suited for each other.”
Hearing this, her aunt didn’t press further, but said, “Charlotte, I knew you’d go back eventually. I just didn’t think it would be so soon. I’ve watched you grow up, and I want to see you before you leave. Once you’re back in New Orleans, who knows when we’ll meet again…”
Charlotte’s voice softened with a playful tone, “Of course, Auntie. I still have gifts I want to give you. I can’t bear to leave you, either.”
After a few more affectionate exchanges, her aunt finally hung up. Just as she ended the call, another one came through—this time from her company’s director.
“Charlotte, congratulations! Your recent design just won an award on behalf of the company. The trophy arrived, but since you’ve resigned, I’ve arranged for your intern to deliver it to your home.”
As he finished speaking, the doorbell rang. Charlotte ended the call and opened the door, only to find Sophie standing there, holding the trophy.
